The Last Exorcism (review)The Devil Inside
Here’s what I knew before I went into The Last Exorcism: it’s a phony documentary, a film that pretends to be “real” but is all a put-on. And it’s about a modern “real” exorcism... real within the context of the pseudo reality of the “documentary,” that is, but also real in the sense that this kind of irrational nonsense continues to be actually perpetuated well into the 21st century. And all those preconceptions about the movie are accurate. But they cannot even begin to hint at what the film is really about. Or at how, in the last few minutes, the film let me down so profoundly. It’s absolutely worth seeing... if only for the intriguing debate to be had afterward, if it wouldn’t be an even stronger film were the last five minutes or so to be chopped off. Ooo, I don’t want to spoil. Suffice to say that from pretty much minute one, The Last Exorcism wasn’t what I thought it was going to be: it was, instead, so much more. More thoughtful. More knowing about the true cultural and community purposes that religious leaders serve. More questioning about the realities of skepticism and superstition and science, and the intersections of the three. Surprisingly poignant. Wonderfully ambiguous. It is both its own twist on the standard exorcism story as well as an insightful commentary on the tropes of this horror subgenre... exploring, for example, why it seems it’s always young girls who are possessed, particularly when the possession is so dramatic as it is here. There are specific vulnerablilities of young girls in our culture that are pegged here with a keen eye... and portrayed so beautifully by Ashley Bell as Nell, the sweet, sheltered teen who needs to be exorcised. The focus of “documentary filmmaker” Iris Reisen (Iris Bahr) is Baton Rouge charismatic preacher Cotton Marcus, who has -- for reasons that will become clear -- decided to get out of the exorcism business after having performed dozens of the rituals. (Actor Patrick Fabian is incredibly magnetic as Cotton, and brings, as a TV actor whom you’ve undoubtedly seen in at least one of his many supporting roles without actually remembering him, the sort of comfortable familiarity and instant intimacy that you’d expect a charismatic preacher to bring to interactions with his flock.) Iris will be documenting this last exorcism of his, which will -- they learn after they drive out to the remote Louisiana farm that’s being afflicted -- be carried out to rid 16-year-old Nell of the hellish spirit that is occupying her body. And because we see all the events that occur filtered through Cotton’s eyes and Cotton’s biases, what follows takes on an unusual perspective, one that is unexpected and that, when things don’t go as Cotton expects, veers into quite a different area than whatever preconceptions you’ve brought into the film about religious horror movies would lead you to anticipate. This is not our father’s Exorcist. Anyone hoping for heads twisting all the way round and nightgown-clad girls crawling on the ceiling will be disappointed. In fact, no FX at all were put to use in the possession scenes: nothing you’ll see is anything beyond what the human body can actually do without an assist from CGI. (Director Daniel Stamm makes a stubborn insistence on maintaining the documentary reality go a long, long way.) Much as how writers Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland made their previous faux-doc effort, Mail Order Wife, turn its weather on an aspect of its situation that you were never expecting, so they do again with The Last Exorcism. I just wish I didn’t feel that how it ends undercuts that commendably fresh angle on everything that came before. Watch The Last Exorcism online using LOVEFiLM's streaming service. support
Disqus commentsblog comments powered by Disqus |
posted:
Fri Aug 27 10, 6:58PM categories: reviews > 2010 theatrical releases permalink 11 pre-Disqus comments Disqus comments infoMPAA: rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content and terror, some sexual references and thematic material viewed at a private screening with an audience of critics official site IMDB trailer more reviews at MRQE more reviews at Movie Review Intelligence dvdAmazon U.S. Amazon Canada Amazon U.K. tip jarshare
read more
Andrew Gurland
arthouseAshley Bell Daniel Stamm Exorcist Huck Botko Iris Bahr Last Exorcism Mail Order Wife Patrick Fabian drama girls/women horror mockumentary suspense/thriller teen related· The Virginity Hit (review) · trailer break: ‘The Virginity Hit’ redband trailer · cinematic roots of: ‘The Last Exorcism’ · NBC is sooo regretting letting Conan go; new Wolverine movie is called ‘The Wolverine’; BBC continues to employ David Tennant and John Simm; more: leftover links · Paranormal Activity (review) · September 18: DVD alternatives to this weekend’s multiplex offerings · question of the day: Why are we no longer able to trust that a documentary is authentic? · the end of torture porn?; the end of the Internet?; what TV viewers want more of (and what they're going to get instead); more: leftover links · trailer break: ‘The Last Exorcism’ bloggyprevious post: ‘Doctor Who’ thing of the day: plimsolls of Rassilon next post: watch it: “Slinky Pussy” |
|
|
search
follow
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(in case of site outages or other emergencies, I'll update my status on Twitter and Facebook)
|
||
follow FlickFilosopher.com no matter where you are online
|
||
share and enjoy
shop to support
support FlickFilosopher.com when you click through here and buy almost anything at:
• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K.
• Amazon Germany
• Amazon France
• Amazon Spain
• Amazon Italy
• Chapters/Indigo (Canada)
• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K.
• Amazon Germany
• Amazon France
• Amazon Spain
• Amazon Italy
• Chapters/Indigo (Canada)
pre-Disqus comments
posted by DAVID ELLIS (Fri Aug 27 10, 11:39PM)
I have a huge problem with this sort of movie no matter how well executed. People, often helpless children, die during exorcisms. It's is a very dangerous variety of nonsense:
http://whatstheharm.net/exorcisms.html
And I've heard (correct me if I'm wrong if anyone has better information) that the film THE EXORCIST fueled a sharp rise in interest in and performance of exorcisms.
What is your opinion about the responsibility of film-makers and other artists in regard to subjects of this sort?
posted by Orodemniades (Sat Aug 28 10, 12:21AM)
Mail Order Wife was uncomfortably hilarious.
posted by Ide Cyan (Sat Aug 28 10, 12:34AM)
David Ellis: that's something the movie addresses, though your mileage may vary on how well it does so.
posted by MaryAnn (Sat Aug 28 10, 1:09AM)
As Ide Cyan noted, this is addressed in the film, though it's one of those things that would have been stronger if the last five minutes of the movie had been chopped off.
posted by DAVID ELLIS (Sat Aug 28 10, 9:10AM)
"David Ellis: that's something the movie addresses, though your mileage may vary on how well it does so."
Good. But from what's been said (while avoiding spoilers) it seems that the movie tried to leave things ambiguous---maybe it was a demon possession, maybe not.
If so, I think it's playing a dangerous game with a topic where real people are dying needlessly here in the real world.
I wish we'd see some exorcism films that deal with the reality of the subject---the helpless being subjected to cruel torture and sometimes dying as a result because an idiotic superstition.
posted by Orangutan (Sat Aug 28 10, 3:16PM)
For what it's worth, CSI actually did this. The episode is called Go to Hell. Kind of a disturbing episode, too.
posted by innpchan (Sun Aug 29 10, 7:18AM)
[SPOILER!!! added by maj; please remember to add spoiler warnings]
Is it just me or is anyone else reminded of "Night of the Demon" with Dana Andrews? Skeptical protaganist seeks to expose spiritual fraud, 90 minutes of is-it-real/isn't-it-real, and a sudden shock ending that settles the question?
posted by joe (Sun Aug 29 10, 2:48PM)
***SPOILER****
In all fairness to the film, what the ending does very effectively is point out (in its own creative way) how dark and dangerous these evangelical types are
posted by j4yx0r (Thu Sep 02 10, 1:42PM)
Minor Spoilers, No Specifics
I don't have much to add here other than the fact that I agree with MaryAnn entirely on this one.
It felt like the movie was getting everything right up until those last few moments. It might not have been so jarring/shocking/terrible if there were any indication that this was the direction we were being led in. Granted, if that were the case, the rest of the film would probably have suffered. Instead, it feels like we're watching the ending to a completely different film.
The filmmakers spend 90 minutes building trust with the audience and then quickly shatter it with a seemingly superfluous and nonsensical wrap-up. It was completely unnecessary and very confusing. Even ignoring the social commentary and overarching themes, it just doesn't make sense from a story telling standpoint.
~j
posted by Tim M. (Fri Sep 03 10, 8:53AM)
For what it's worth, there are real documentaries out there about the dangers of modern-day "witch hunting" and exorcisms. In fact, HBO2 ran one just a few months ago called "Saving Africa’s Witch Children". Check it out:
http://globalsociology.com/2010/05/26/saving-africas-witch-children/
http://markcrispinmiller.com/2010/05/saving-africas-witch-children-on-hbo2-will-sarah-palin-watch-it/
While I have problems with Last Exorcism's ending in terms of it undercutting both the film's overall atmosphere and logic, it's not nearly as irresponsible at The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which went out of its way to distort the facts of the original case and yet it still claimed to be based on a "true story".
http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=8052
posted by amanohyo (Sun Sep 12 10, 8:46PM)
The beginning of the movie is amazing in the way it delicately walks the line between religion as an elaborate hoax and religion as a positive, multifarious, and integral aspect of people's lives. It gradually declines in quality as it goes on, and the ending didn't really come as much of a shock or a disappointment for me. Overall, I admit it was a lot better than I expected. I know it wasn't real, but I think I felt the worst for that poor cat. Farm animals and filmmakers are one thing - no one should be needlessly cruel to a cat. I thought the devil liked cats anyway... or is that only black cats?
That reminds me... I'm sure MA already posted something about this, but they're already remaking Let the Right One In with Hitgirl as the vampire? WTF?